Mazda 626 Troubles

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I have 99 Mazda 626 LX 4 Cylinder and currently it has 62000miles. So far I am only doing Oil Changes on regular basis, but I wanted to find out, what kind of maintainence I must do on my car now, so that it keeps on running in good health. How much does that kind of maintainence on the average cost?

I'm not sure of the later models of 626's,but I have a 1990 with automatic transmission and I have heard from more than one source that unless a seperate aftermarket transmission fluid cooler is installed($40-$80 part cost)those transmissions are prone to early failure because of heat builup. Also that the electronics associated with those automatics can be troublesome at times when a mechanical failure is suspected. Regular fluid changes are also advised (every year or two). In the summer I would advise a higher viscisity motor oil or a motor oil additive such as STP oil treatment especially if you get stuck in traffic regularly in the summer. Timing belt(includeing water pump and pulleys and oil seals for crankshaft and camshaft) should be replaced every 4-5 years or so or every 60-90,000 miles. And naturally regular but crucial stuff like hoses and serpentine belts,spark plugs and wires. The cost of these things can be prohibitive if you have to bring it to a garage instead of doing it yourself,but some things like spark plug wires and even spark plugs(useing antisieze compound on the threads)are not too difficult for a novice mechanic. Fuel filter eplacement is advisable once every 2-3 years as well as air filter insection and possilble relacement once in a while(every year or two)

Also, you should inspect and or replace the front brake pads every 10,000-20,000 miles or so and the rear a little less.And replace the antifreeze every 4-5 years or add a supplement such as prestone anti rust(22 ounce)or Zerex anti rust, as anti freeze loses it's ability to prevent rust over time, but not it's freeze boilover protection.These things will save you even bigger costs in the future such as brake rotor replacement and radiator replacement.

My 94 626 lxa 4 cylinder with the FORD CD4E tranny went alittle nuts today . AFter a lot of driving on a very hot day it would :#1 not go into reverse at all , #2 neutral produced a forward gear with clunky starts, and # 3 after cooling down reverse came back although it was initially clunky also. I needed to add over 1 liter of coolant to radiator. Its very hot here in Greece and I think it may be a semi fried SWITCH INHIBITOR RANGE SENSOR which we replaced 5 years ago after similar symptoms. I am getting a 133 code after two 111 (codes which signify no faults). I can find nothing out about 133 codes on a OBDl Mazda in my book. Can anyone confirm that this is a range sensor code. I have ordered the part and it will be coming to Greece with my cousins son tomorrow. I hope this solve the problem but any confirmation of code or advice would be appreciated TIA PGP

Take it for a long drive back to Michigan or something, That cool air at highway speeds keeps it from heating up too much and can clear out the oxygen sensor and possibly some of those well known codes as well.

WELL I CHANGED THE TRANNY SHIFT INHIBITOR AND THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DROVE THE CAR HOME AT 2 AM THE OTHER NIGHT AND WAS LUCKY TO MAKE IT BACK TO ATHENS FROM THE COUNTRY SIDE. IT WAS ABOUT 180 MILES AND IN 3RD OR 4TH GEAR I COULD DRIVE THE CAR NONSTOP ACROSS EUROPE. WHEN I NEED TO CHANGE GEARS OR STOP TO PAY A TOLL TRANNY CLUNKS LIKE CRAZY . IT IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE.THE MECHANIC WHO DID THE TRANNY REBUILD 5 YEARS AGO,TAKES THE MONTH OF AUGUST OFF LIKE MOST EVERYONE ELSE HERE IN GREECE. I THINK I WILL BE SCREWED UNTIL HE GETS BACK UNLESS SOME ONE ELSE HAS ANY OTHER IDEAS. I HAVE TO SHIFT INTO LOW OR AT LEAST S TO GET STARTED. DRIVE PRODUCES NOTHING. AFTER GAINING SOME SPEED I CAN SHIFT INTO DRIVE AND IT WILL HOLD OVER 30 MPH OR SO. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? MAZDA MECANIC SAID IT COULD BE A SIMPLE PROBLEM SENSOR ETC BUT HE WOULD NOT KNOW WHERE TO START LOOKING AT AN AUTOMATIC TRANNY HERE IN GREECE. THE HOLD LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS OF DRIVING AND I AM GETTING NO CODES AFTER CLEARING THE 133 THAT I HAD BEFORE CLEARING IT AND STARTING TRIP.

If you have 108K miles on the original timing belt, have it changed ASAP! I cannot agree with your husband's assessment that you will know when changing the timing belt is due. You cannot see the belt unless you remove the timing belt cover. Timing belts usually fail unexpectedly, leaving you stranded. Worse yet, if you have a 4 cylinder engine, it may be an interference engine, so you may be looking at $4k in engine work if the timing belt fails while driving (valves will strike the pistons). Mazda recommends replacing the timing belt at 60K miles. Stretching it to 105k miles like I did, I was taking a risk.

I recently replaced several instrument panel bulbs on my car because they burned out, and only the tachometer and odometer were lit up at night.

Anyway, I will briefly describe how to do this without breaking things (following the shop manual sequence).

1. Disconnect the battery negative terminal2. Get a flat bladed screwdriver, wrapped in a rag, insert it into the front edge of the side dashboard panel (driver's side) and gently pry the clips out. The panel has hinge-like plastic clips in the back, so be careful not to break those. Once the front edge of the panel is pried loose, pull the panel out. You will see two screws under the panel, holding the lower dash panel in place. 3. Remove the two lower panel screws and also one on the right hand lower edge of the lower panel. Then pry the panel out gently and it will drop about an inch, revealing additional screws holding the black upper panel in place(no need to fully remove the lower panel). 4. You will need a short torx bit screwdriver to get to some screws. Also, a flex shaft torx bit screwdriver will work (this is what I used). To remove the upper black cover panel , you also need to disconnect the oscillating vent motor connector, hazard switch and rear defroster connectors, and the power mirror switch connector, which was so stubborn on my car, that I left it connected and just moved the panel out of the way suspended from the power mirror switch harness. Be careful not to break the wiring harness connectors. The have a plastic barb that must be pushed in to release the connectors. Do not force them apart, and do not use pliers to pull them apart.5. Remove the instrument panel black cover. It is attached with 4 same size torx screws. 6. Unplug the three connectors on the back side of the printed circuit instrument cluster and mark with tape for correct reinstallation. Now you can remove the instrument cluster from the vehicle and get to the bulbs. 7. The bulbs that provide the illumination for the speedometer, tach, and the gauges are green bulbs with grey sockets. There are three of them. Also, there is one small green bulb. There are four types of bulbs used in the cluster. Each warning light has a small individual clear bulb. There is probably at least twenty bulbs total in that instrument cluster. The bulbs are removed and replaced by gently twisting them and pulling straight out.

I have 63000 miles on my Mazda 626 LX, 1999 Model 2.5 liter 4 cylinders. I have not yet replaced the timing belt on my car and I was informed by the service people that this is very critical to be replaced. Mazda dealearship here costs around Cd$845.00 (canadian). This is the cost of 60,000 miles service on the car.

Now I wanted to find out, if I should take this car to mazda dealership or any mechanic should be able to replace the timing belt. The local mechanic has given me a cost of almost half the amount.

Hi Guys I am back in NYC now where I have bandwidth and am trying to get some info on my 94 MAZDA 626 I4 ATX which is still in Greece. I subscribed to ALL DATA and they refer to a SUPER TESTER 11 to help diagnose ATX but I cant find any info on the tester anywhere Here is a update of my situation posted August 4th or so:

Tranny Problems My 94 626 lxa 4 cylinder with the FORD CD4E tranny went a little nuts today . After a lot of driving on a very hot day it would : #1 not go into reverse at all #2 neutral produced a forward gear with clunky starts, and # 3 drive would not engage at all #4 forward could be accomplished by using S or L gear #5 after cooling down reverse came back although it was very clunky . Although car did not register overheated I needed to add over 1 liter of coolant to radiator. I am getting a 133 code after two 111 (codes which signify no faults). I can find nothing out about 133 codes on a OBD 1 Mazda in my book. Tranny will not go forward in D but will go in S or L and eventually when getting up to moderate speed 40-50 MPH or so, I can put selector in drive. It will drive well in 3rd and 4th gear (I DROVE 140 MILES AT HIGH SPEEDS 80 MPH> without problems) . The hold light came on after about one hour of driving. Also Reverse does not work now,it clunks and does not move at all .Also S and L engagement of tranny causes a loud clunk. Anyone know how to check solenoids as suggested here ? Thx Peter

The timing belt job is 3 hours of labor and the belt itself at a Mazda dealer is over $100 CAN. This totals around $300 tax in. I deal only with a private mechanic, who I trust and is a master at what he does and charges fair prices. My car had 97000 km on it when he did the timing belt. He also did the water pump, even though it was ok, he changed the coolant, valve cover gasket all for $700 in Canada. I would never take my car to a dealer because of the impersonal nature of their work. Shop around, get friends to refer you to a good mechanic, it's worth it. The service at this mileage should run you about $300(plugs, plug wires, air and fuel filters, injector cleaning). Sounds like the dealer's price is too high.

I have a 1996 626 with 140K miles, recently purchased, and have experienced the ubiquitous rough idle problems. I had an engine code P1402, EGR valve metering orifice restricted. I replaced the EGR valve with a new one ($$$) and made sure the passages to and from the valve were clear, and within minutes after starting it up, got the same P1402 code!

The problem is most likely clogged EGR orifices in the intake manifold past the throttle body. I had this problem with my V6. What happens is, the carbon clogs the orifices so that the EGR flow into the intake manifold is stopped or greatly reduced. You need to remove the throttle body to access these.

Thanks for the tip: When I installed the new EGR valve I had the throttle body off and ran a .45 caliber brass brush through the EGR orifices, and blew 150 PSI comressed air through both holes: it blasted into the intake manifold through one hole and out the exhaust pipe through the other. Seemed like both of them were clear...

i bought a 93 v6 mazda 626 crono. first problem i had was my steering it was leaking steering fluid...i thought it was a hose problem or something then it leaked to my tires which was a bigger problem...i also hear clickering sounds evertime i go over bumps..solution-- it was a rack a pinion steering cost $900 canadian to get fix at mechanic---product worth $150

second problemmy rpm revs really high and my temperature is at red line and my steering was hard to control--the problem was my water pump was broken and my steering belt was gone..Mechanic fee $600

third problem everytime i drove my car i would hear a dragging noise at the back of my car...this started happening after i change my break pads 1 week earlier.. --problem-- it was my tires...the were not even so i got 4 new tires and a tire and a tire rotation which is important, it makes sure my car is level..cost $600 new tires

fourth problemmy car started leaking smoke out of my exhaust, it was grey smoke not black...it got fixed when i took it to the mechanic..- problem was, it was leaking oil in my engine pumps.. which cause grey smokes cuz it hadnt leak that bad yet cost to fix $500 1 month later it started leaking smoke again so this time i solved it a different way...took out my cat coverter and got straight pipes and a new racing muffler...cost $400 1 yr later still hasnt smoke a bit of grey smokes...lasted longer then cleaning my engine

fifth problemi bought a new intake for my car to make it sound better and make it gain more horse power....i attached everything correct, 1 week later my car is now starting to shake when my intake is hot, when its cold it runs fast and smooth but when its hot it kinda chokes or dont get enough sucking or something? havent gone to the mechanic yet on this one..kinda wanna fix it on my own just in case it was a small problem! If anyone had this happen to them please help.. thx u

btw.. i flush my oil and my tranny and i gain all my horse power back ..it was like running like it was new..

I have a 97 626 with 100,000 miles. My car makes noise when I accelerate. Took it the dealership and they said the inner CV is bad and needs to be repleced for $500 plus. I am leaving the country in December and don't want to invest that much but I need my car. Is it possible to do it yourself and how? My brother says he knows but....HELP!!!!

I just purchased a 99 ES V6 for my daughter. Car has just over 100k. In excellent condition. I did have to put a set of tires on it. Anyway, my question regards some brake noise I am getting from the rear, driver's side. It is low pitched noise, and I do not hear it all of the time. Sometimes when backing up I hear it, sometimes when slowing down for a traffic light I hear it, but not all of the time. The shop that put tires on inspected it and could not find anything wrong, but they did hear it, thinking it may be because the car sat a little bit before I bought it. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Rebuilt axles/CV joints are very inexpensive. Last time I check with NAPA, they had Mazda 626 rebuilt axles and CV joints for $ 58b per side! I asked how come they were so cheap, and they said that there was a local rebuilder supplying these for them. I think they also have a lifetime warranty on them (need to double check that). Either way, if one CV joint is bad, the others are not far behind. Replace both axles and CV joints with rebuilt ones. The labor to replace should not be over $ 200 because they are replacing entire assemblies, which is a lot less work than replacint the CV boots and cleaning the joints.

The bearing on the A/C compresser pulley on my Mazda has disintegrated after 152K miles. No big deal, right? Wrong! First of all, you cannot replace just the bearing or the pulley with the bearing. You have to buy the whole A/C clutch assembly(even if the clutch was not damaged), which retails for about $ 250. (A new A/C compressor with the clutch is $480 for the V6 model). I bought the clutch and proceeded to remove the old clutch with the proper tools which I rented from Autozone. When I pulled of the pulley, I discovered that the damaged bearing has sheared off from the pulley and remained stuck on the compressor shaft. There is no way to pull it off, so I have to buy a new A/C compressor. And this means replacing the receiver/dryer too. And discharging/ recharging the system. So a $ 15 bearing failure has now turned into a $800+ dollar expense.

It sounds to me like it may very well be that you need to replace the right rear wheel bearing. See if you can roll up all of the windows and get on some smooth straight road and put it in neutral at about 35-45 MPH and coast while listening for a low growl from the rear, or it may be more pronounced around a curve, it still sounds like a good geuss is the wheel bearing is worn. Front wheel bearings are much more of a concern than rear, and should be replaced much quicker, I have had some rear bearing noise for a couple of years now, and plan to eventually get them replaced.

Thanks for the suggestion of a wheel bearing issue. I am not sure that is the problem, since we only hear it when braking, with the foot on the brake pedal. And, no one circumstance brings the noise out. It is random. Very strange.